Call to Action Archive

Suit Up Maine publishes new calls to action (C2A) each week. The current actions can be found on our homepage, but past C2A can be viewed here in our archive by topics. For more information on the specific issues and the working groups that produce them, click on the issue headers below.

A bill that would roll back accessibility rules required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed the House last week–with Rep. Poliquin voting YES–and is headed to the Senate.QUICK ACTION: Call Poliquin to protest his vote and call Sens. Collins and King and tell them to oppose any attempt to bring the bill for a vote.

The reauthorization of CHIP is now being used as a bargaining tactic in the debate over the government shutdown. A vote is expected on Jan. 22 that may resolve the issue.UPDATE: As part of a bipartisan deal, CHIP has been reauthorized for six years.

To pay for tax cuts for corporations and the rich, the Senate tax plan will slash Medicaid and Medicare funding and repeal the ACA individual mandate, likely leading to a collapse of the health care markets. Call Sen. Collins (202-224-2523) and tell her to vote NO on any tax bill that cuts health care to fund tax cuts to the rich.

Despite 13 new indictments against Russian operatives, Trump still refuses to implement sanctions against Russia, undermines investigations into their interference, and offers no plan to prevent them from doing it again.QUICK ACTION: Demand that Congress defend our country by forcing the president to implement sanctions, approving bills to protect Mueller’s investigation, and crafting a defense plan.

All four immigration proposals voted on by the Senate failed, and the future of DACA remains uncertain as Trump propels us towards a third government shutdown.QUICK ACTION: Learn how our Senators voted on each plan and what new ones could be in the pipeline, attend a Portland vigil in support of DREAMers, and make sure our MoC stay focused on finding a DACA solution before the March 5 deadline.

Four of Trump’s most extremist nominees to LIFETIME judicial appointments face imminent votes in the Senate.QUICK ACTION: Call and email Senators Collins and King and demand that they oppose Kyle Duncan, Thomas Farr, Matthew Kacsmaryk, and Howard Nielson.

The Trump administration wants to open most of the U.S. coastline to oil and gas exploration, including Maine.QUICK ACTION UPDATE: Attend a public hearing in Augusta on March 7 and submit a public comment before the March 9 deadline.

Trump has nominated a coal industry lobbyist and notorious climate legislation killer to the second most powerful position at the Environmental Protection Agency. His Senate confirmation vote is imminent.QUICK ACTION: Call and email Senators Collins and King and tell them to OPPOSE the nomination of Andrew Wheeler.

Trump’s nominee to be the nation’s top environmental watchdog calls carbon dioxide a “plant nutrient” and says climate change poses no threat to the environment.QUICK ACTION: Tell Senators Collins and King to OPPOSE Kathleen Hartnett White’s nomination to lead the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality. UPDATE: The White House has WITHDRAWN White’s nomination in the face of fierce opposition by senators, constituents, and environmental advocates.

False and misleading information runs rampant, from social media’s clickbait rabbit holes all the way up to the White House.Fight back against lies and misinformation, and support the work of reputable journalists by building your own diversified press room.

Social media is a terrific tool for sharing our views and concerns, but we sometimes only reach like-minded people. Learn to transform those concerns into a letter to the editor so that you can reach a more diverse audience in your community. We’ll help you!

The murders of 17 students and teachers in Parkland, FL, last week marked the 30th mass shooting in the U.S. in less than two months.QUICK ACTION: Join a gun violence prevention group, attend a protest event near you, and demand that Congress and the Maine Legislature take action NOW.

Deadly loopholes in our federal gun laws allow stalkers and domestic abusers to have guns simply because they are not married to their victims, even though women are just as likely to be killed by a dating partner as by a spouse.QUICK ACTION: Ask your MoC to sign on as co-sponsors to legislation that will close “The Boyfriend Loophole” (S.1539 in the Senate and H.R. 3207 in the House).

Cleverly concealed inside a bill that strengthens background checks is the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act that turns the weakest state laws on concealed weapons into the law of the land. Rep. Poliquin co-sponsored the bill, which passed in the House and now moves to the Senate. Make sure Poliquin knows how you feel about him hiding his dangerous pet project in this way, and join in phone banking efforts to defeat this bill.

Maine’s child poverty rate is increasing eight times faster than the national average. A bill in the Maine legislature could help bring those numbers down by increasing parents’ access to educational and training opportunities.QUICK ACTION: Attend the LIFT 2.0 public hearing on Wednesday, February 14, and share your story with bill sponsors.

The Legislature is considering bills to ban food shaming in Maine public schools and to restore funding to 24 school-based health centers. QUICK ACTION: Attend public hearings on these bills and submit testimony in support of them.

Suit Up Maine is an all-volunteer grassroots group of Mainers who work to raise awareness of and advocate for policies and legislation that promote equity and equality in civil rights, social justice, health care, the environment, education, the economy, and other areas that affect the lives of all people. We are beholden to issues and action, not parties or politicians, and we aren’t engaged in fundraising. Suit Up Maine fosters collaboration among our state’s progressive groups and organizations to collectively connect, educate, and motivate Mainers to rise in non-violent resistance to a regressive agenda.